Maruti Suzuki SS80 DX

This is a discussion on Maruti Suzuki SS80 DX within The Indian Car Scene, part of the BHP India category; Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM
Just completed restoring a friends SS80, tried my level best to Restore it to its ...

Re: Tribute to 30 years of Maruti Suzuki in India with a 1984 SS80 Restoration

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Just completed restoring a friends SS80, tried my level best to Restore it to its Best of Originality.

This specific 800 model has the strongest bodyshell as compared to the later generation 800s seen on road today. The final outcome of the car speaks volumes about the real hardwork and efforts put in by you mate.

Re: Tribute to 30 years of Maruti Suzuki in India with a 1984 SS80 Restoration

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Just completed restoring a friends SS80, tried my level best to Restore it to its Best of Originality.

Availability of Genuine spares ensured i fell short of getting it to Its BEST of Originality.

Although I do agree that getting SGP Japan spares for the SS80 is very difficult,MGP spares are still available for SS80 So I dont understand your statement about availability affecting originality.For example the bumper parking light(cum indicator) lens is full amber coloured and is still available brand new (only in1994 this dual coloured ones came).
The rear chrome strip decal seems to be a reproduction one.(Subject to correction)

Quote:

Originally Posted by amolbh

Good job sir! Very nice SS80.

Did the original SS80 come with both 'Maruti' and 'Maruti Suzuki' logos at the rear?
I have seen some 2nd generation M800s too having the logo in Devanagri.

There were only the Maruti suxuki logo and the big 800 logo at the rear in standard models

Re: Tribute to 30 years of Maruti Suzuki in India with a 1984 SS80 Restoration

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenren

Regarding the dual colored lights, was it from 1988 or 1994?

IIRC, parking lights became white when we stopped Japanese import of SB308 and started production in India which I believe is in 1988.

sorry to say that Your information is absolutely wrong.SB308 production started in INDIA in 1986 and initially all models were full of Japanese parts.The engine became maruti from 1987 onwards.sealed beams stopped by end 1986.DX models still had the TOKAI Denso Tail lamp assy,turn signal assy and parking lens assy till 1987 November or so.
The indian replacement for all the lights were LUMAX.The full amber coloured lens for the bumper parking lights (LUMAX) continued till 1994 when the model got a facelift with seatbelts for Standard models.

Re: Tribute to 30 years of Maruti Suzuki in India with a 1984 SS80 Restoration

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajay99

sorry to say that Your information is absolutely wrong.SB308 production started in INDIA in 1986 and initially all models were full of Japanese parts.The engine became maruti from 1987 onwards.sealed beams stopped by end 1986.DX models still had the TOKAI Denso Tail lamp assy,turn signal assy and parking lens assy till 1987 November or so.

Interesting. IIRC, there were an 86 model 800 Deluxe (Japanese parts) with the amber park lights and 3-4 800s from the 90-93 timeframe in my extended family with white park lights that I can remember. Hard to imagine that all of the 90-93 model cars had those lights replaced!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajay99

The indian replacement for all the lights were LUMAX.The full amber coloured lens for the bumper parking lights (LUMAX) continued till 1994 when the model got a facelift with seatbelts for Standard models.

Was this change along with the grill getting changed from the horizontal lines to the mesh type and the bonnet opener going inside the bonnet?

If so, I'm pretty sure I've seen 800s before that with the white park lights. Along with the facelift, those LUMAX light covers became much brighter both for the tail lights and the front park/indicator combo but I think the park lights were white even before that.

EDIT: Got the proof.

KL-7-D-5900 M800 featured in Manichitrathazhu movie has white park lights. (seek to 15th minute of the movie or the climax scene) Its a 93 model and the film was released in 1993. Sorry to say but it looks like you got it wrong regarding the dates. I'm pretty sure the amber park lights were replaced by white ones from at least around 90 or 91

If I am not wrong, with the facelift, the bonnet also lost the exterior hood release mechanism.

You are correct .
Regarding the car in the movie zenren has mentioned ,the movie was released in December 1993.Maybe the changes occured in 1993 but zenren had said in his earlier post that it was in 1988 which he has now changed to 90/91.I was pretty sure of that because I have seen 89model car delivered from the showroom in trivandrum of one of my friends.
Also you cannot take the cars shown in movies as sacrosanct evidence,Because in a 1995 movie ''Kusruthikattu'' there is a white car with regno:kl-5-b-8244 which is a 1994 last model and it has the bonnet opener on the hood.
anyway I will check and tell you exactly in which year the dual coloured parking lights came.

Saw this KRH registration SS80 sporting upgraded tyres and alloy wheels. The car seems to have been painted recently and I feel that this beige colour is a recent fad, as I saw a similar PY registered car at Trivandrum last month..

Regarding the car in the movie zenren has mentioned ,the movie was released in December 1993.Maybe the changes occured in 1993 but zenren had said it was in 1988 which has now change to 90/91.

What I mentioned was that it wasn't 94 for sure, (which you were so sure of till now) since there were cars in my family with white parking lights that were bought before 94.

I see a big difference between assembling a car in India using imported parts and producing a car in India using localised parts. I don't consider a car to be produced in India if all parts are imported from elsewhere. Its merely assembled in India till then. CKD is still treated as import and not local manufacture. I said "production started in 88" by that logic. If you consider local assembly as "production", then I'll rephrase it as "when we stopped importing Japanese parts."

I had a SB308 of 86 make in the family which had most Japanese parts and was just assembled in India. AFAIK, this model was available only till 88 (or probably 87 end as you say) which was replaced by the model with Indigenous parts substituted for Japanese parts. The next change to 800 (that I was aware of) happened somewhere in 95 timeframe. 88 was the only year where 800 got a conspicuous change before the facelift in 94-95 and hence I thought the amber lights might have been changed to white as part of starting local production in India. If that was an isolated change, then I can only guess it as some time between 88-91 since no one I know bought any M800 during that period. The later cars came with white lights.

BTW, I didn't claim I'm 100% sure of the dates though you sounded as if you didn't have even the slightest doubt about what you were saying!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajay99

Also you cannot take the cars shown in movies as sacrosanct evidence

It does act as sacrosanct evidence in case you are using disproving something. For disproving, you just need a single counter-example. In this case, a 93 model car in a movie released in 1993 clearly proves that your argument about white coloured park lights being available only after 94 as wrong unless the movie makers modified their car with a lamp assembly from the future!

The converse need not be true, since someone can always get a spare for the older version and replace it in newer car

I think there were three types of park lights cum indicator -
1. Full Amber
2. Part white and part amber
3. White outer lens with an inner amber lens for the indicator part.

My 800 Std has the third type and it was bought in July 1995. You get replacements for both the first and second type but not for the third type. So I am still running around with the reflector almost fully faded. I had tried the full amber one for a couple of days but did not like the looks. My grill is also the honeycomb type without the bonnet release switch. Its got front seatbelts too.

I believe that in 1996 or so a version with 50:50 split rear seats were also introduced - final version before the major facelift with wraparound headlamps.